U.N.: Hezbollah not rearming in Lebanon

BEIRUT, Lebanon, March 3 (UPI) -- The U.N. Security Council has been told there is no evidence that Hezbollah has been rearming in Lebanon south of the Litani River.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon says the organization's Interim Force in Lebanon has found no basis for claims by Israel that Hezbollah is rebuilding its military presence, The Daily Star reported.

"To date, UNIFIL has found no evidence of new military infrastructure in the area of operations," Ban said during a visit to Beirut.

A report by UNIFIL to the Security Council warns, however, of "heavily armed military positions" maintained by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Fatah al-Intifada along the Lebanese-Israeli border.

U.N. Resolution 1701 approved last August calls for a cessation of hostilities in southern Lebanon, a pullout of Israeli forces and the disarmament of Hezbollah.

It also forbids the presence of paramilitary forces south of the Litani River.

"These repeated violations of Resolution1701 undermine the credibility of the Lebanese Armed Forces and UNIFIL," Ban said.